What it means to be free
by White Wolf Phoenix
Summary: It started on a stormy night, as it always seems to. Running away sounds like fun. It will be exciting and full of adventure. But will it be as easy as dreaming it made it out to be? Tame to wild, two mares find out for themselves what the wilderness has to offer. And maybe find out a bit more about themselves on the way. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I have always loved the Silver Brumby concept. After finding the cartoon I was hooked. Unfortunately, I have yet to read the series of books. I have read The silver Brumby and The Silver Brumby's daughter, but it is impossible to find the others in braille (which is the only way I can read as I have no sight) or on an audiobook. This story is based from the cartoon, but has no particular timeline placement, other than coming after both Ebony and Golden have featured in the episodes.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters mentioned/shown in the Silver Brumby series. I do, however, own Flora, Willow and Prince. Please, please give feedback. I really do appreciate criticism or encouragement.

Freedom. A word used in definition to mean the state of being free or at liberty, rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. A rather dry meaning to a concept that means so much in the hearts of all creatures, be they beast, bird or man. Freedom to move, to run, to make your own way. To roam at will and never need to worry about who, the why or the wherefore. To feel your heart soar to the clouds as you stand atop a mountain, or dash through the trees, or even splash your way through a bubbling stream.

Freedom comes in many guises, through the kindness of others, through the achievement of ones own goals, through careless action, and sometimes, through pure chance.

This night was to prove to be an occasion of chance. The winds were fierce as they blew in whistling flurries over the countryside. Rain fell in torrents, soaking the ground underfoot and weighing down the boughs of trees with dripping waterfalls of rain water. Not a true thunderstorm, as no lightning cut the air with electric bolts of fury, nor did thunder boom heavy drum beats into the ears of those who could hear it. It was, however, a very bad storm.

Howling with all the unearthly vigour of the hounds of hell, the wind buffeted against the log cabin that sat in the open field, its timbers creaking and groaning with the effort of staying together. Well built as it was, it was a challenge for the old place to maintain its solidity.

Inside, four figures sat clustered around the old fireplace, glad for its heat and comfort in the current tumult outside. One of the four, a woman in her early thirties looked towards the rain dashed window with a pensive look on her face. "Are they alright, do you think?"

"They'll be fine Elaine, don't worry yourself so much." One of the two men present, a man who appeared the same age as the distracted Elaine commented, swirling the hot drink in the tin mug he held close to himself for extra warmth. "They're not like you and me. Horses were built to live in this sort of weather. Isn't that right?" Turning to look at the other man who sat by the fire, the speaker gave a wide grin.

The other man, obviously more familiar in his surroundings, pulled at the brim of his dark, weather-beaten hat. "That's right. But even so, I'm glad you folks managed to find your way here not long after the storm hit. The weather out here can be fierce and devastating if your not prepared for it." He took a sip from his own mug. "Still, Echo's always been fine during these storms, hopefully he'll help calm your three through it." He looked at the window, hearing torrents of rain pouring down outside. "All being well you should be able to get back to where you came from tomorrow morning." Glancing at his three guests, he quirked an eyebrow. "Where did you say you came from again, anyway?"

The other woman, who had yet to speak, smiled. "Yes, we didn't make it all that clear, did we. I suppose that the sudden onset of the storm frazzled us a bit. I'm Caroline Winters, and this is Elaine Raymonds and Michael Birch. We were undertaking a spot of riding, when the storm blew in and we lost the trail back to our rented cabin."

Michael nodded. "Yes, quite. It's just good fortune that we wandered this way instead of off into the bush."

The man with the wide hat smiled, turning back to his impromptu guests. "A good job… yes."

Outside in the crude barn, four horses, the equine counterparts to the four humans sitting inside the cabin, were lasting out the storm the best they could.

Only one of the horses was seemingly bothered by the raging storm outside, a fine looking dark golden palomino stallion. He kept shifting nervously and snorting. "Settle down friend." The only other stallion in the barn tried his best to console the agitated visitor to his home. "There is nothing to fear. It's perfectly safe in here. I have spent many such storms safe inside this barn."

"He's right, Prince. Stop panicking so much. Look at Flora and I, are we panicking?" The older mare, a sandy buckskin tried to soothe him.

"That's all very well for you to say, Willow. But you have lived through a lot more bad weather than I have, and Flora… Flora is mostly oblivious to the world around her. She's always day dreaming." Prince shuddered as another icy blast of wind rattled the boards of the barn. "Not to mention the fact that you both enjoy being out in the open more than I do."

Flora, hearing her name, turned her head to look at Prince. "What was that? I thought you said my name?" She tilted her head, her cream coloured mane falling down over her pale cremello neck.

"You see?" Prince tossed his head nervously. "Even in this uproar, she's out of it."

Just then a loud crack sounded from overhead and Prince reared slightly, his panic evident on his white blazed face. The other three looked up to the ceiling. "It's nothing." The black stallion reassured. "It does that all the time. It's just a beam shifting in the wind."

"That didn't sound like a beam shifting. It sounded like the roof was going to come down!" Prince darted his eyes from the roof to the doors. "Shouldn't we try to… do something?"

"Like what?" Flora enquired, her white masked face turned to him. "What could we do? It's not like we can get out of here." She sighed longingly. "Even if I wish we could."

"You want to go? Out there? Are you crazy?" Prince was working himself into a panic now. "Can't we be moved somewhere else? Get our men to move us?"

"Sorry." The black stallion shook his head. "There isn't anywhere else. It's here or in the corral, and considering how you don't like the idea of being out there…"

Willow scuffed one of her hooves on the hay-strewn floor. "I don't see how you can mind it, Prince. The wild brumbies have no choice but to be out there."

"But we're not wild brumbies. We're riding horses! We're supposed to be safe and warm in a nice comfy stall, not out here in a rickety old barn that has no strong walls, or nice bolted door, or no food bag of oats!" Prince stomped his left front hoof with each statement. "And no matter how much you two wish you were free to roam around in the cold and the rain, I certainly don't!"

Seemingly ignoring the tantrum of the golden stallion, the black male turned to Willow. "You want to be free, hmm? I once knew a filly who wanted to be free. Her name was Golden. She got her wish, thanks to the ghost Horse."

Flora, who had been watching Prince having a nervous breakdown and trying to decide if there was anything she could do to calm him down, turned her attention to the others. "Ghost horse? How could a ghost help free anyone?"

The black stallion chuckled. "That's just a name given to him because of his colouring and his illusive nature. His real name is Thowra."

Willow looked thoughtful. "Thowra… I've heard of him. Echo," she addressed the black horse, "does that mean he is from here?"

Echo nodded. "Yes. He is from the cascades, which is only a short journey from here."

Flora shook her mane excitedly. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to meet him? Have you ever met him, Echo?"

"No, not really. My man and I have chased him many times, but never caught him." He grinned fondly. "But we will. Someday."

Prince, seeing that his outburst was no longer gaining him any attention, stopped his stamping and snorting and huffed sullenly. "So what? It's not like you're ever going to get chance to meet him. However close he may be, he's still out there." He flicked his head towards the doors of the barn. "And you're not."

"We could be if we wanted to be." Flora snapped, her ears pinned back in an unusual show of temper. "In fact, we just might leave tonight."

Prince whinnied with laughter. "I'd like to see you try. The doors are bolted shut."

Flora hesitated at this, the wind thoroughly taken out of her sails. "Well…"

At that moment there was a blast of wind stronger than any before it and the barn gave an almighty creak, and then a loud snapping crack, as the roof shifted and began to lift with the air pressure being put on it. All four occupants looked up to see it waver in mid air for a moment, still attached on two sides to the main structure. One side being that of the bolted barn doors. Prince shied back as far as he could go without crashing into a wall. "I thought you said it was safe!"

Ignoring his accusatory shout, Flora put her now focused attention on the doors that barred them from escaping the suddenly open-topped structure. "The wall… its moving…"

She was quite correct, the wall, put under stress from all sides, and now without the anchoring support to the other walls by way of the roof, was swaying slightly. Echo started to back away, a wary eye on the unsteady barrier. "Careful, it may fall."

Willow flicked her own concerned eyes to the roof, which flapped and strained in the wind. "It's going to break off…"

At which point, it promptly did so. With a wrenching crack the roof flipped clear off,

heading towards the paddock outside. As it fell it slammed backwards into the wall that housed the doors. With a splintering snap the wall collapsed, dragging a good portion of the structure down with it. Flora stared at the opening in the wall where the windswept and rain-sodden paddock was open in front of the barn. The roof had landed on part of the fence. That too had collapsed. Freedom was but a few strides away. She turned to the other three, her usually dreamy eyes bright. "Come on, this is our chance. We won't get another one like this!"

"Are you completely insane!" Prince squealed. "We can't run off! We'll starve, or be killed, or freeze to death."

Once again ignoring his ramblings, Flora turned to the other two. "We can go, now. Our humans will come any second." She practically danced on the spot, looking from Echo, who looked stern, to Willow, who looked undecided. "Well…?"

Echo shook his head, flicking his mane out of his eyes. "No. I won't go. My place is here. I don't desire to run wild. If that's what you want, then go, but I've seen a few try it. Golden was one of them, and I have heard of another, Ebony. They both returned to men eventually. It's harsh out there. As paranoid as your friend seems," he shot a look at Prince, "he is quite right about the dangers."

Flora turned imploring eyes on Willow. "Willow… Please understand…?"

Drawing in a deep breath, aware of the sound of the door to the men's cabin being flung open and shouts from the humans coming to her ears, muffled by the wind and rain. "Alright." She turned to Echo. "I'll go. You said the Cascades…?"

"Yes. That way." He gestured with a flick of his head. "Travel in that direction and you'll find the part of the bush where Thowra can be found. But you won't find him, unless he wants to see you. Golden said that if he wanted to speak with you, he would. But be careful of the Brolga."

"Brolga… What's-"

Willow was cut off by Flora bumping her hard in the shoulder. "If we don't go now our men will catch us as soon as we leave the barn!"

Flicking one last look at Echo, the two ran for the hole in the barns structure and out into the yard. Galloping at full tilt they ran through the destroyed fence and into their future. Behind them they heard the shouts and curses of their humans, but even they soon faded. Back in the barn Echo shook his head, now sodden with rainwater. "Good travels." Shooting a glance at the stunned Prince, as his man and the other male human entered and took hold of them to prevent their escape too. "And good luck."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here is chapter 2 (finally). Thank you for your patience to those who have read the first chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or places created or mentioned within the Silver Brumby books/cartoon.

The wind whipped at their faces, causing their manes to stream out behind them, and the rain stung their eyes, as the two mares raced into the storm. Heading in the direction that Echo had pointed out to her, Willow found herself in the lead, Flora close at her flank.

She still wasn't entirely sure how to feel about this situation. Yes, she had always wanted to experience what it was like to be free, but she was more reserved about it than Flora. The creamy coated mare had always been the dreamer in their little trio

Prince had been the paranoid one, the one who constantly worried about bugs in his feed, or getting a stone in his shoe. He was the nervous one, the random element of the group. Given over to his emotions, Prince's actions were unpredictable at the best of times.

Flora was the impulsive one. The adventurer. Her attitude was carefree, almost to the point of recklessness. Her antics often earned her disdain from others, who couldn't understand how she could be so curious about every little thing. Nor how she could be so preoccupied with fantasies and her own imagination. She daydreamed constantly, hardly ever in the here and now when she was left to her own devices.

Willow, on the other hand, was the grounded one. The one who calmed frazzled tempers, or wild impulses. She brought the other two down to earth. Made them stop and look at what was happening and reason out any arguments and disagreements they might have. She was a pragmatist rather than a wanderer or a neurotic personality.

Why then was she galloping through a storm in the middle of the night without so much as a halter on. Why had she left her life, her mistress, and her sense behind in one fell swoop? Perhaps she wasn't quite as down to earth as she liked to think herself. She had to admit, the sense of freedom, the feel of the wind blowing over her coat, without a rider on her back was thrilling. If it weren't for the heaviness of her iron-shod feet, she could swear that it were possible to fly. The one final reminder of her former ownership nearly brought her to a halt, if it were not for the exultant shout that Flora voiced at that moment. "We're free Willow! Really free!"

Deciding that it was worthless thinking of regrets, and even more of a waste trying to convince Flora of them, she ran on into the night.

The rain soon became uncomfortable, as it soaked their fur through, making them appear darker than their true colouring. Spying a remote clump of trees, Willow directed their gallop towards the greenery. They slipped in among the trees and slowed to a stop, panting and snorting from the excitement of their run. Shaking off a flurry of water droplets, Willow looked around her more closely. This was an adequate place to shelter out the rest of the storm. The trees were far enough apart to make moving easier, and their low hanging branches mat overhead, making the rain less of an issue. At least it was cover, just in case they had been followed.

"So, what now? Do we find Thowra?" Flora asked, her eyes vacant with her inner musings. "It would be so fabulous to meet a real brumby… I wonder what he's like?"

Willow shook her head. "As fabulous as it would no doubt be, Flo, we need to keep a watch out for whatever this Brolga is."

"Hmm?" The cream mare pawed at the ground absent-mindedly. "What?"

"The Brolga. Echo wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't important. And we don't even know what it means. It could be the name of a beast, a brumby or even a man-thing."

"If it were a man-thing, we would have probably heard of it before." Flora pointed out, her wandering mind snapping to attention, as it sometimes did, bringing forth a good argument. "We have lived with men, and if there were such a thing out here where horses are used and also run wild, there would most likely have been word from other trail horses."

"True. So it must be something native to this region." Willow sighed, letting herself drop to the ground, her limbs tingling from her sudden exertion in running from the paddock. "We'll just have to keep our eyes and ears open. I wonder how Prince is getting on."

Flora copied her friend, laying down on the slightly damp ground. "Knowing Prince he's probably having a panic attack."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Yes. I suppose that's what happened, but I do feel bad for leaving Echo to have to deal with him."

Flora drowsily looked around. "Still, I'm glad we're actually trying to be free. I can't wait for tomorrow."

Willow felt a warmth of comfort build in her chest at Flora's naïve optimism. "Neither can I. You sleep now, I'll keep watch for a while first."

"You sure." Flora was already starting to nod, her eyes flickering shut. "I can… stay up… too…"

Willow knew very well that Flora was prone to bouts of hyperactivity, and then needed to sleep to recharge her reserves, and this night had definitely worn her out. "No, it's fine. You sleep."

Gratefully Flora lowered her head, almost immediately falling into a peaceful slumber. Sighing softly, Willow settled into her vigil, prepared to sound the alert if there was any sight or sound of danger.

The night was long and cold, and the rain did not let up for even a second. Not until the next day dawned. Slowly the last trickles of the previous few drops dribbled down from the branches above the heads of the two mares who lay still in the copse of trees. Willow shook off a final droplet of moisture which had splattered on her head, as she stood. Pacing over to the still slumbering form of Flora, she wondered once again at the carefree nature of the younger mare. Even despite her current tiredness, Willow didn't think she could have slept a wink. She was too on edge. Nudging Flora with her nose to wake her, she smiled at the sleepy look of welcome she received. "Oh hi Willow. Is it breakfast time already?"

"Yes. Come on. Get up. We need to find some decent grazing, and we need to look around the area and familiarise ourselves with the landmarks."

"But why?" Flora leapt to her feet, suddenly wide awake. "I thought we were going to find Thowra? Why do we need to remember things around here?"

"come on, Flora. I credited you with more sense than that." Willow peered cautiously from the trees before walking into the open. "You heard Echo, no one gets to see him unless he wants to see you. That means that it could be a while before we actually get to see him, and our humans aren't going to let us run free without trying to get us back." She lowered her head, inspecting the slick mud that still coated the ground. "We were lucky last night. The storm covered our tracks, even with the heaviness of our metal shoes."

Flora blinked. "Oh, I completely forgot about them. I'm so used to them being there. What are we going to do about them?"

"There's nothing we can do until they come off on their own. But until then we need to make sure not to walk on soft ground, and where we do have to, not to

make it too obvious."

"I'll try." Flora stepped uncertainly on a section of rocky ground leading away from the trees. "Like this?"

"Very good." Willow encouraged, as she too took to walking on the stone outcrops and hard packed dirt along their path.

Soon enough they found a patch of grass enough for the two of

them to comfortably graze. Willow had insisted that they search near wooded areas or areas with rocks that could shield them from sight. Trusting now in her friend's judgement, Flora went along with little complaint, just thankful to be free.

Willow's mind travelled as she cropped at the grass. What was this mysterious Brolga? Echo had seemed so serious when he had given the warning. But what could it possibly be? And how long would it be before their men came looking for them?

At that moment, a noise came to her ears. She stopped eating, her head whipping erect and her ears perking to catch another hint of the sound. There it was again… a scratching. Almost a scrabbling, as of claws on stone.

A predator? No, it couldn't be. Any creature hunting them wouldn't make so much as a squeak. And speaking of squeaking, was that…? Yes, it was. A definite squeaking sound coming from the same direction as the scratching.

Warily she moved slowly towards a roughly stacked pile of boulders not far from where she was standing. Flora stopped her grazing to watch, clearly not having heard the sound herself. She was about to speak when Willow shushed her. Reaching the boulders, Willow was about to peer around them, when suddenly a

small orange-red creature bounded over the top of the highest boulder and flopped to the ground, rolling to a stop against her front hooves.

Peering down at the little furry animal, she smiled. "Well, hello there little one."

Uttering another squeak, the tiny form waved it's front paws in the air and tried to right itself. Flora came up beside Willow, bending to nose at the oddity, in the process helping it get back onto all four feet. "What is it Willow?"

Before Willow could answer, a voice called from beyond the pile of stone. There was a distinct tone of panic in the tone. "Baby Dingo? Baby Dingo where did you go?! Oh dear, he was here just a moment ago…"

"So, you're a baby dingo, huh?" Flora nosed the dingo pup, who giggled and rolled over backwards once more. "And I guess that's your mum."

Willow called out to the worried mother. "He's here!"

"Thank goodness!" The mother dingo appeared around another pile of rocks next to them. "Thank you so much for finding him." To the pup, she scolded. "Don't you ever run off like that again. You stay with your brother at all times, you know that." She gestured to the second pup, who was hiding behind his mother's bushy tail. "You had me so worried…"

Willow chuckled, as the chastised pup got to his feet and slunk, whimpering, back to his mother's side. "Youngsters… forever getting themselves into mischief."

The female dingo smiled up at the mare, who towered above her. "Just as you say… But I don't recognise you. Are you new to the high country?"

"You could say that." Willow nodded.

"We escaped from our men last night." Flora stated, matter-of-factly. "We hope to meet Thowra."

Willow shot Flora a look. How would this creature of the wild respond to knowing that they were former tame horses. She tried to ease Any concerns the mother dingo would have by adding. "But we understand that he seeks out who he wishes to speak to. I am Willow and this is Flora."

"I am delighted to meet you both. Please, call me Mrs Dingo." She smiled. "I am sure he will want to meet you, and when I see him I will tell him of your wish to see him."

"Thank you." Willow bowed her head slightly in gratitude. "May I ask one more thing of you?"

"Of course." Mrs Dingo tilted her head curiously. "What can I help you with?"

"A friend of ours mentioned that we should beware of the Brolga, do you know what that is? He didn't get chance to explain much."

Flora nodded. "Yes, can you tell us, Willow has been fretting over it all night."

Mrs Dingo's expression turned to one of sudden anxiety. "Oh my. Well, yes, you should definitely steer clear of the Brolga. I don't know how much I can tell you that will help, but he is particularly dangerous, especially to you both. He is a very determined and domineering stallion who rules the cascades. Thowra is his nemesis. If you should meet him, which I pray you don't, don't mention his name. It would be better for you."

"So he is a brumby." Willow mused. "What does he look like? Just so we can avoid him if we see him."

"He is very tall with a hard expression. His coat is grey as a storm cloud and his temper is just as forbidding. You will probably hear his voice before you see him." The dingo mother turned her head to listen to the wind. "I am sorry to have to cut things short, but I was in the process of taking these two to the stream for a bath." The pups both winced, their tails and ears drooping. "It's not that far from here."

"Of course, please carry on. And thank you for all of your advice." Willow nodded towards the not so distant sound of running water. "I hope the rest of your day goes well."

"I am sure it will, if these two can behave themselves." Mrs Dingo smiled at her pups. "And just in case no one else says it to you, allow me to be the first. Welcome to the high country."

A/N: Well, there it is. Please give me any comments/criticisms you have. Thanks for reading.


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